A Look at Google Glass and the Tech Behind It

Google Glass, is it the future or just another fad? At this stage, we can’t say for sure. There has certainly been quite a bit of hype generated for Google’s upcoming computerized glasses, but again that doesn’t speak about lasting appeal.

The idea does certainly have some merit, though. Imagine taking pictures of your loved ones hands-free during hunting trips, fishing, hiking or other events where talking a camera along with you would be otherwise cumbersome. It also could certainly come in handy for quickly learning information and looking things up when you are otherwise not able to just whip out a phone.

Google Glass is clearly a high-tech endeavor, but ever wonder what makes it tick, hardware-wise? Google has now released some new details to that end. First we now know that display will be equivalent to a 25-inch HD (720p) screen viewed eight feet away. It also has a camera that can take 720p video footage and 5MP still images.

The glasses have16GB of onboard storage, though only 12 will actually be available to the user. Then there is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, audio transferred via a bone conductor transducer, and micro-USB for charging.

Speaking of charging, how long is that battery going to last you? Google now reports it will make it through a “full day of typical use”, though activities like Google Hangouts and video usage will obviously drain the device even quicker.

Wearable Computing, the Next Big Thing

Regardless of whether or not Google Glass itself will make a long-lasting impact on the world around it, we can go out on a limb here and say that wearable computing is here to stay.

As time goes by, the form that these devices take will likely change quite a bit but for the moment the top two contenders for wearable dominance seem to be glasses-like devices like Google is building, or smartwatches like that which companies including Microsoft, Apple and Samsung are rumored to be working on.

What do you think about wearable computing, and which device could you more likely see yourself actually using? Conversely, does the idea of wearable computing make you fear for the future of privacy and security? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.